Instruction
Why practicing golf is pointless for many golfers
Most golfers think of practice as hitting balls on the range, and for the majority of golfers that’s their only practice. Any practice is better than no practice, of course, but when most golfers practice they’re not actually improving their golf swings. They’re repeating their old swings over and over, trying to make compensations so that their swings become more functional.
Unfortunately, that kind of practice is quite different from what golf practice should be. A better kind of practice has golfers repeating a new move in their golf swing that addresses their core swing fault so they don’t have to make so many compensations. And if they do that, their results will not only be better, but much more consistent.
In the attached video, I have included a few examples of golfers finding ways to try the hit the golf ball by fitting the club in into their existing swing.
I have always said that golfers are the most ingenious people I know. They will do whatever it takes to put the club on the ball. Whatever it takes usually includes a series of compensations for a core fault. This vicious cycle usually starts with a poor grip or posture, which in turn affects the club face and leads to a series of compensating moves. So instead of trying to correct the core problem, golfers practice ways of compensating. Go to any driving range and see this process up close and personal.
Have you ever gone to the range to hit, say, 100 balls, and somewhere in the middle of the bucket you started striping it? Ball after ball comes off the middle of the face and flies at the intended target at a good trajectory. Then you leave, and go the course or the range the next day and you can’t hit it in the ocean from the beach?
There’s a good reason why. If golfers hit enough balls, they can start to time their compensations perfectly.
The swing fault called over the top is a classic example. The club is swung well outside the target line, and then on the downswing it is pulled back in just in time to at least hit the ball. The shot may be pulled or sliced, but at least it’s hit in the air, and if the (right-handed) golfer aims far enough left, he or she can play it.
Then, out of nowhere, comes the shank! “Where did that come from?” they say. “I’ve never done that!”
Well, the shank may be a less frequent result of the over-the-top move, but it is clearly in that family of shots. It can happen when the club is still well outside the ball and not pulled inside. This cycle all started with an over-the-top move that may have been the result of a grip that was too weak or a club face that was open at the top.
The lesson here is that in order for practice to really help, golfers need to know the root cause of their bad shots. If they know that, they are on their way to making progress. Until then, most golf practice is nothing more than enjoying the fresh air, sunshine and getting some exercise, perhaps. It’s not helping most golfers’ games like they think it is.
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There may be no more painful affliction in golf than the “yips” – those uncontrollable and maddening little nervous twitches that prevent you from making a decent stroke on short putts. If you’ve never had them, consider yourself very fortunate (or possibly just very young). But I can assure you that when your most treacherous and feared golf shot is not the 195 yard approach over water with a quartering headwind…not the extra tight fairway with water left and sand right…not the soft bunker shot to a downhill pin with water on the other side…No, when your most feared shot is the remaining 2- 4-foot putt after hitting a great approach, recovery or lag putt, it makes the game almost painful.
And I’ve been fighting the yips (again) for a while now. It’s a recurring nightmare that has haunted me most of my adult life. I even had the yips when I was in my 20s, but I’ve beat them into submission off and on most of my adult life. But just recently, that nasty virus came to life once again. My lag putting has been very good, but when I get over one of those “you should make this” length putts, the entire nervous system seems to go haywire. I make great practice strokes, and then the most pitiful short-stroke or jab at the ball you can imagine. Sheesh.
But I’m a traditionalist, and do not look toward the long putter, belly putter, cross-hand, claw or other variation as the solution. My approach is to beat those damn yips into submission some other way. Here’s what I’m doing that is working pretty well, and I offer it to all of you who might have a similar affliction on the greens.
When you are over a short putt, forget the practice strokes…you want your natural eye-hand coordination to be unhindered by mechanics. Address your putt and take a good look at the hole, and back to the putter to ensure good alignment. Lighten your right hand grip on the putter and make sure that only the fingertips are in contact with the grip, to prevent you from getting to tight.
Then, take a long, long look at the hole to fill your entire mind and senses with the target. When you bring your head/eyes back to the ball, try to make a smooth, immediate move right into your backstroke — not even a second pause — and then let your hands and putter track right back together right back to where you were looking — the HOLE! Seeing the putter make contact with the ball, preferably even the forward edge of the ball – the side near the hole.
For me, this is working, but I am asking all of you to chime in with your own “home remedies” for the most aggravating and senseless of all golf maladies. It never hurts to have more to fall back on!
Over the last couple of decades, golf has become much more science-based. We measure swing speed, smash factor, angle of attack, strokes gained, and many other metrics that can really help golfers improve. But I often wonder if the advancement of golf’s “hard” sciences comes at the expense of the “soft” sciences.
Take, for example, golf instruction. Good golf instruction requires understanding swing mechanics and ball flight. But let’s take that as a given for PGA instructors. The other factors that make an instructor effective can be evaluated by social science, rather than launch monitors.
If you are a recreational golfer looking for a golf instructor, here are my top three points to consider.
1. Cultural mindset
What is “cultural mindset? To social scientists, it means whether a culture of genius or a culture of learning exists. In a golf instruction context, that may mean whether the teacher communicates a message that golf ability is something innate (you either have it or you don’t), or whether golf ability is something that can be learned. You want the latter!
It may sound obvious to suggest that you find a golf instructor who thinks you can improve, but my research suggests that it isn’t a given. In a large sample study of golf instructors, I found that when it came to recreational golfers, there was a wide range of belief systems. Some instructors strongly believed recreational golfers could improve through lessons. while others strongly believed they could not. And those beliefs manifested in the instructor’s feedback given to a student and the culture created for players.
2. Coping and self-modeling can beat role-modeling
Swing analysis technology is often preloaded with swings of PGA and LPGA Tour players. The swings of elite players are intended to be used for comparative purposes with golfers taking lessons. What social science tells us is that for novice and non-expert golfers, comparing swings to tour professionals can have the opposite effect of that intended. If you fit into the novice or non-expert category of golfer, you will learn more and be more motivated to change if you see yourself making a ‘better’ swing (self-modeling) or seeing your swing compared to a similar other (a coping model). Stay away from instructors who want to compare your swing with that of a tour player.
3. Learning theory basics
It is not a sexy selling point, but learning is a process, and that process is incremental – particularly for recreational adult players. Social science helps us understand this element of golf instruction. A good instructor will take learning slowly. He or she will give you just about enough information that challenges you, but is still manageable. The artful instructor will take time to decide what that one or two learning points are before jumping in to make full-scale swing changes. If the instructor moves too fast, you will probably leave the lesson with an arm’s length of swing thoughts and not really know which to focus on.
As an instructor, I develop a priority list of changes I want to make in a player’s technique. We then patiently and gradually work through that list. Beware of instructors who give you more than you can chew.
So if you are in the market for golf instruction, I encourage you to look beyond the X’s and O’s to find the right match!
Most pros take months, even years, to win their first tournament. Lottie Woad needed exactly four days.
The 21-year-old from Surrey shot 21-under 267 at Dundonald Links to win the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open by three shots — in her very first event as a professional. She’s only the third player in LPGA history to accomplish this feat, joining Rose Zhang (2023) and Beverly Hanson (1951).
But here’s what caught my attention as a coach: Woad didn’t win through miraculous putting or bombing 300-yard drives. She won through relentless precision and unshakeable composure. After watching her performance unfold, I’m convinced every golfer — from weekend warriors to scratch players — can steal pages from her playbook.
Precision Beats Power (And It’s Not Even Close)
Forget the driving contests. Woad proved that finding greens matters more than finding distance.
What Woad did:
• Hit it straight, hit it solid, give yourself chances
• Aimed for the fat parts of greens instead of chasing pins
• Let her putting do the talking after hitting safe targets
• As she said, “Everyone was chasing me today, and managed to maintain the lead and played really nicely down the stretch and hit a lot of good shots”
Why most golfers mess this up:
• They see a pin tucked behind a bunker and grab one more club to “go right at it”
• Distance becomes more important than accuracy
• They try to be heroic instead of smart
ACTION ITEM: For your next 10 rounds, aim for the center of every green regardless of pin position. Track your greens in regulation and watch your scores drop before your swing changes.
The Putter That Stayed Cool Under Fire
Woad started the final round two shots clear and immediately applied pressure with birdies at the 2nd and 3rd holes. When South Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim mounted a charge and reached 20-under with a birdie at the 14th, Woad didn’t panic.
How she responded to pressure:
• Fired back with consecutive birdies at the 13th and 14th
• Watched Kim stumble with back-to-back bogeys
• Capped it with her fifth birdie of the day at the par-5 18th
• Stayed patient when others pressed, pressed when others cracked
What amateurs do wrong:
• Get conservative when they should be aggressive
• Try to force magic when steady play would win
• Panic when someone else makes a move
ACTION ITEM: Practice your 3-6 foot putts for 15 minutes after every range session. Woad’s putting wasn’t spectacular—it was reliable. Make the putts you should make.
Course Management 101: Play Your Game, Not the Course’s Game
Woad admitted she couldn’t see many scoreboards during the final round, but it didn’t matter. She stuck to her game plan regardless of what others were doing.
Her mental approach:
• Focused on her process, not the competition
• Drew on past pressure situations (Augusta National Women’s Amateur win)
• As she said, “That was the biggest tournament I played in at the time and was kind of my big win. So definitely felt the pressure of it more there, and I felt like all those experiences helped me with this”
Her physical execution:
• 270-yard drives (nothing flashy)
• Methodical iron play
• Steady putting
• Everything effective, nothing spectacular
ACTION ITEM: Create a yardage book for your home course. Know your distances to every pin, every hazard, every landing area. Stick to your plan no matter what your playing partners are doing.
Mental Toughness Isn’t Born, It’s Built
The most impressive part of Woad’s win? She genuinely didn’t expect it: “I definitely wasn’t expecting to win my first event as a pro, but I knew I was playing well, and I was hoping to contend.”
Her winning mindset:
• Didn’t put winning pressure on herself
• Focused on playing well and contending
• Made winning a byproduct of a good process
• Built confidence through recent experiences:
- Won the Women’s Irish Open as an amateur
- Missed a playoff by one shot at the Evian Championship
- Each experience prepared her for the next
What this means for you:
• Stop trying to shoot career rounds every time you tee up
• Focus on executing your pre-shot routine
• Commit to every shot
• Stay present in the moment
ACTION ITEM: Before each round, set process goals instead of score goals. Example: “I will take three practice swings before every shot” or “I will pick a specific target for every shot.” Let your score be the result, not the focus.
The Real Lesson
Woad collected $300,000 for her first professional victory, but the real prize was proving that fundamentals still work at golf’s highest level. She didn’t reinvent the game — she simply executed the basics better than everyone else that week.
The fundamentals that won:
• Hit more fairways
• Find more greens
• Make the putts you should make
• Stay patient under pressure
That’s something every golfer can do, regardless of handicap. Lottie Woad just showed us it’s still the winning formula.
FINAL ACTION ITEM: Pick one of the four action items above and commit to it for the next month. Master one fundamental before moving to the next. That’s how champions are built.
PGA Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer. You can check out his writing work and learn more about him by visiting BEAGOLFER.golf and OneMoreRollGolf.com. Also, check out “The Starter” on RG.org each Monday.
Editor’s note: Brendon shares his nearly 30 years of experience in the game with GolfWRX readers through his ongoing tip series. He looks forward to providing valuable insights and advice to help golfers improve their game. Stay tuned for more Tips!
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Alex
Feb 11, 2016 at 2:53 pm
I hit a few balls (30) 3/4 times a week. That’s the longest span I can concentrate and work on 1 thing in my swing. I care about my swing.
I have a friend who plays awful golf and is always complaining but has never taken a lesson for a few years. You tell him something and he hits the range on his own trying to change his swing. The final result, you can imagine: he always gets back to his old superhacker swing.
Useless practice is the most common thing you see at the club practice tee.
stephenf
Mar 10, 2016 at 12:36 pm
Exactly.
Always tough to know how to respond to a friend who’s always talking about how hard the game is, getting mad about his bad shots or bad scores, etc., but won’t make any actual changes.
I had a friend years ago, a guy who had some potential — 80-84 on an average day, but lots of length, and could shoot 76-78 sometimes. Good short putter. Just way over the top with a shoulder-dominated downswing. We got him to slow down that wrenching-twisting over-the-top action, and pretty soon he was hitting it a little from the inside, and hitting it better than he’d ever hit it. He went out two or three times to play after that and was just elated at how he was hitting it. I went about three weeks without seeing him, then saw him at the range again, and he was right back to his old habits. “What the hell, man?” I asked him. He says, “Yeah, I know. But it just wasn’t comfortable.” Love the guy, but I just wanted to pull my hair out. I’ve run across that kind of thing more often than I care to think about. What’s wrong, inefficient, ineffective, etc., is “comfortable,” so they prefer comfort and continuing in what they’re doing rather than making any changes for the long term. Maybe some people, like your friend, actually kind of like the cycle of “try, get aggravated, let off steam, have a beer and talk about how hard the game is” more than they’d like to be uncomfortable during a period of actual improvement.
M-Herd4
Feb 11, 2016 at 11:00 am
Geez, the article title alone makes an average Joe hack like myself and I’m sure many others feel like trying to improve is a waste of time. I understand where you’re coming from, I really do, but a large percentage of amateur golfers don’t have the time, money, or access to instructors like yourself. If we did I’m sure we’d be constantly improving. So, for now, I’ll keep working at this great game to the best of my ability and enjoy the times on the range when I’m feeling the flow. Here’s hoping for the best (fingers crossed)!
Paul
Feb 9, 2016 at 10:28 pm
So true that it’s not about just taking lessons. It’s about taking lessons from an instructor who is the right person for you. I had dabbled in taking lessons in the past. I was a decent player, 8 handicap and self taught. Grew up playing hockey, football and baseball so I had a good base to draw from. As we all know though, golf is a different animal in that what happens one day doesn’t happen the next.
I’ve seen 5 different instructors and all of them were the same in that they wanted to to teach me their method. One instructor told me there was nothing he could do for me that my swing was that good (not true). Two others tried teaching me right out of the Ben Hogan manual even giving me photo copies of a portion of his book. Obviously in all cases I never went back to these people. I continued to try and self diagnose and fix with expected results (i.e. Still inconsistent).
In 2014 I had a round where I shot 108 that included 10 balls OB and I didn’t ever want to have a round like that ever again. So I started researching other teaching pros in the area and asking people for suggestions. Long story short I stumbled on an instructor who finally did not want to build me from the ground up but to tweak what I already have. I gave him my standard speech that I want to be more consistent, no more rounds in the 100’s and know I can play the game fairly well at times but when I’m bad, I’m really bad.
Before he even asked me for a dime we spoke for maybe two hours over a few week period and I knew his philosophy fit well with mine. I kept an open mind and said I would gladly pay for a package of 8 lessons and do whatever he wanted but feel as though I don’t need to start from scratch. He completely agreed and what we wound up fixing is my shoulders at address (I was too open), take away (not pulling inside) and tempo. None of the “technical” items I thought were the problem all along. The results were amazing and my handicap dropped from an 8 to a 4 with multiple rounds between lost balls. My worst round was an 86 and the 70s were a common occurrence. That’s realistically the best I can do with a set of young twins and a full time job as the rest of the strokes are short game.
I played sports and some at a high level my whole life. I always had coaches for these sports and it made no sense that I never had a golf coach. I desperately wanted one but it just is not easy to find one. I highly recommend if you play twice a week to keep searching until you find the right coach. You should know what type of coach you want if you’ve played other sports. Keep going until you find one because your enjoyment of the game goes up 10x when you do. The initial cost may be a little high but once you get to a certain point it can be just maintenance from that point forward.
John
Feb 10, 2016 at 11:55 am
You hit the nail on the head! Sounds like I wrote the story although I haven’t found the guy/girl instructor yet.
Dennis Clark
Feb 10, 2016 at 10:27 pm
wow…you shot 108 in 2014 and now you’re a 4 cap…thats amazing! keep up the good work!
Steve
Feb 11, 2016 at 10:23 pm
10 shots OB, to me that means 10 times on the tee hitting 3. Thats like spotting 20
Par tee
Feb 8, 2016 at 10:32 am
Launch monitors must have really helped Jack, Arnie, and Bobby Jones!!! If you need a monitor to tell you what your eyes can tell you, especially when you use range balls, go ahead!!! This article is spot on, most golfers don’t even take or want to take lessons. This has nothing to do with instructors, I’m in my 50’s and have never been or taken a lesson with a launch monitor. My instructor is and always has been my dad!
Joew2328
Feb 8, 2016 at 10:31 am
So what do you do when you start striping shot after shot in the middle of your practice session? How do you know if you’re correctly implementing the move you’re trying to make, or just compensating for your faults?
Philip
Feb 8, 2016 at 2:44 pm
Start changing up club selection, skipping a few clubs. Take an additional pause between shots and move to different areas on the grass. At least that is what I do when I start striping shots. What I should really do though if I have a round to play is immediately stop hitting balls on the range and go to the putting green until I tee off, instead of what I did in the past, which is to continue to hit balls until I lose whatever was clicking and then end up bringing a messed up swing and thoughts to the tee as I usually can’t reconnect my swing.
Josh
Feb 9, 2016 at 10:59 pm
Good advice!
Dennis Clark
Feb 8, 2016 at 5:22 pm
As I said in the article, you DON’T…video, launch monitor numbers are the ONLY way. The phenomenon you’re describing is very common. And it does not always help give proper feedback, that’s the problem. The ball can lie to us. Find a good pair of eyes and keep them on your efforts. If you’re serious about improvement, which it sounds like you are.
RG
Feb 10, 2016 at 2:09 am
The ball can lie to us has been a mantra of mine for years, so thank you Dennis for some positive reinforcement. I know in my game the way I corrected mechanical issues is without the ball, because of this phenomena. If your honest with yourself, you know whether you’ve made a good swing or not.
JP K
Feb 10, 2016 at 11:38 pm
you have to move from mechanical to target. start by aiming at a target and lay down a rod (at your heels) and see where you are aiming. Get good at alignment which is easy on mat but not on the course. Then, try to fade and draw at targets (success is not slicing right of the target or hooking left of the target). this will help you forget about mechanics and focuses on execution. Then, play your round.
SOS
Feb 8, 2016 at 7:44 am
Took lessons for years. From supposed top teachers. Very limited success. Been using a launch monitor lately and its been a god send. I’ve gotten to know my swing and the basic numbers it produces. I also know by the numbers what is my good swing and can equate it to things I’m doing. Just looking at a video is about half of what is necessary. Don’t see many teachers using launch monitors along with the video’s. Why not. The numbers don’t lie. What I’ve found is that if I don’t slow down coil properly my numbers will be down and conversely. I’m not paying big money if it doesn’t produce results and just looking at a video will not tell you this. Same thing with the instruction. How many teachers keep track of their students progress as a gauge for them as teachers as well as progress for their students. They don’t even know how far their clients hit their clubs nor their dispersion! I’m not saying that instruction is a fraud especially for the money paid. I’m saying its unprofessional. Until you teachers wake up to this fact there will be limited progress. I also don’t want to hear their out. Which is “You didn’t listen to me”.
Dennis Clark
Feb 8, 2016 at 5:10 pm
If you hear “you didn’t listen to me” or “you have to get worse before you get better”, find another instructor. I work with both LMs and video. Of course. I also charge a lot of money for the 35 years I have invested in my craft.
Blair
Feb 10, 2016 at 12:23 pm
A great coach is worth all the money and then some!
Ver
Feb 7, 2016 at 11:49 pm
What’s more pointless is telling people who have no sports or athletic ability, the kind of people with whom you grew up in high school who used to be the geek who never did any sports or any kind of physical activity, who’ve spent more of their life indoors than outdoors sitting on their butts, that they can and should pick up this fun game called golf because it’s good for their health and they can have some camaraderie with new playing partners and friends and opponents and that it’s the game for a lifetime.
Because those are the people you see struggle year after year whether they have spent millions of dollars in lessons or not, because they just don’t have any athletic ability at all.
And if this article is an attempt to convince some of those people who may read this article to get out more on the golf course so that courses make more money that they desperately need right now as the number of players have decreased over the years instead of having them spend money on range balls, you are very much mistaken about the game of golf altogether.
Double Mocha Man
Feb 9, 2016 at 9:38 am
Good point about athleticism. My theory is that anyone with a 5 handicap or better grew up playing sports, naturally improving their hand/eye coordination, their full-body coordination. Ask a 5 handicapper to fling a football, sling a frisbee, shoot a 3 pointer, field a grounder or throw a pitch and they can do it… and look good doing it.
Dennis Clark
Feb 9, 2016 at 5:55 pm
And to think a 5 cap gets 5-6 a side from a tour pro, 🙂
JP K
Feb 10, 2016 at 11:49 pm
i know plenty of crap golfers who have questionable swings who love to play and celebrate a par like a birdie and who have no disillusion about their skills. it’s really only the ones who have mismatched self-perception that you need to worry about. e.g. play from the wrong tees, get pissed off…i had a guy quit after nine yesterday and go back to the range but at least he knows he’s terrible. unless you are rowgr #1 no one has any business saying someone should not play, there’s always someone better than you.
Tim
Feb 7, 2016 at 4:25 pm
Topic has been discussed so much how is this a news item? Article could have been one sentence long and accomplished the same goal.
Dennis Clark
Feb 7, 2016 at 3:51 pm
All it takes is a good look at the big picture, cause and effect. Most have no clue without proper feedback on full swing. Short game, a whole other ball game…
cgasucks
Feb 7, 2016 at 2:49 pm
Every range session is a learning experience full of trial and errors…the result? 2 clubs in distance gained with more accuracy…I wouldn’t have gotten those results if I never experimented and kept using my old swing…
ooffa
Feb 7, 2016 at 2:26 pm
Practice is never pointless. This article is.
RG
Feb 10, 2016 at 2:18 am
Practice doesn’t make perfect, it makes permanent, so if you practice and suck you will permanently suck. It’s always funny to me when guys that think 85 is a good round like to talk smack to a teaching pro.
Troy
Feb 7, 2016 at 2:18 pm
So true Dennis,
I was at the golf driving range yesterday and I saw the same golfers practicing the same old poor golf swings and looking frustrated at the results.
There’s really no point in them keep on turning up to the range until they change something.
Cheers
farmer
Feb 7, 2016 at 1:28 pm
Two problems; 1. assumes competent, continuing instruction, 2. assumes availability of said instruction. Get out into non-urban areas and see what you find.
NICODYWILL
Feb 8, 2016 at 10:15 am
The other issue is finding competent instruction altogether. I live in an urban area and can’t tell you how many “Instructors” are out here trying to tailor their “students” to their methods instead of vice versa. No two people are the same so why should the swings be the same? There isn’t a Yelp for teachers that i’m aware of and if you aren’t receiving the right instruction then you aren’t setting yourself up for success and only wasting money while perpetuating a broken cycle.
farmer
Feb 8, 2016 at 1:06 pm
Where I live, it’s nearly 100 miles to the nearest genuine, Class A pro. He may not be a good teacher, as you say, and in my area, teaching is frequently done by assistants. Good instruction is kind of a crapshoot, apparently no matter the location.
Dennis Clark
Feb 12, 2016 at 6:53 pm
100 miles, sounds like you are pretty far out my friend! where may I ask?
Dennis Clark
Feb 7, 2016 at 11:39 am
Spot on Steve…”Nothing changes if nothing changes”
K
Feb 7, 2016 at 11:33 am
The last paragraph also sums up most people’s sentiment toward range time. It is fun. It relieves stress (or transfers it to something more healthy). It can also help with confidence on the course if you keep an understanding that you are not going to make a perfect shot every time, but you do have the potential to get lucky. If you practice well, expect to play well, but if you prefer to enjoy going to the range, by all means enjoy it. Set your expectations to amount of time you have available and then go have fun.
Tom
Feb 7, 2016 at 11:17 am
The last paragraph of the article nails it.
Steve
Feb 7, 2016 at 10:58 am
This why most golfer’s don’t improve with lessons, they get fed up with the process and go back to their flawed swing. A teacher might show them they are coming over the top, for example and show them a way to improve their clubpath. They try and try the new way and see no improvement, so they go back to the old swing. Problem is all the old swing compensations are still there and must go away to support the new swing. Which is a process most dont have time or patience to deal with